Resident American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics (RAOAO) Update
By Mark A. Petrocelli, DO
President, Resident American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics
Orthopedic Resident – McLaren Greater Lansing
Lansing, MI
Exciting events continue to transpire in the world of osteopathic orthopedic residency training. As many of you may already know, the AOA, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) are working toward developing a unified accreditation system for graduate medical education. While this seems like the logical transition for streamlining accreditation and ensuring that all residents and fellows are held to the same high standard, it is a daunting task to create a single, comprehensive system that addresses the needs of both osteopathic and allopathic trainees. It was initially slated for implementation in July 2015 but with the many details yet to be worked out, that may be an unrealistic expectation. More information can be found on the AOA’s website and we will keep you updated as events continue to unfold.
One of the purposes of the RAOAO is “to establish, foster, and maintain lines of communication with other Osteopathic resident[s].” To facilitate this process we are working on updating the RAOAO webpage with more current and useful information. We are also moving forward with the creation of an interactive Residents Forum, a secure section of the site that will allow RAOAO members to read and post on a variety of topics (current research projects, information on fellowships, etc). Please contact us if you have suggestions or ideas for this section as we continue with the development phase.
As stated in our bylaws, the ROAOA exists, in part, “to serve as the collective ‘voice’ of the residents.” With 38 residency programs and over 450 osteopathic orthopedic residents, we would like to hear more from you about how we can better be of service. Please email us at raoao@aoao.org with any questions or suggestions you may have.
The RAOAO board will be meeting again at the 53rd Annual Postgraduate Seminar in Miami, May 3-5. The time and location will be made available when finalized. We welcome any residents attending the seminar to join us.
We hope that all is well with you both personally and professionally and hope to see many of you in the Sunshine State in May!
